mallen



ST TES arnrrr FFICE.

I HENRY MODONN ELL ANI) JOHN J. MALLEN, OF JACKSONVILLE, ILLINOIS,

ASSIGNORS OF ONE-THIRD TO GEORGE \V. CLARK, OF SAM'E PLACE.

PROCESS OF DECORATlNG WALLS.

SPECIFICATION: forming part of Letters Patent No. 356,230, dated January18, 1887.

Application filed November 23, 1886.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, HENRY McDoNNELL and JOHN J. DIALLEN, citizens ofthe'United States, residing at Jacksonville, in the county of Morgan andState of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inProcess of Decorating Walls and other Surfaces; and we do hereby declarethe following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same.

Our invention relates to a process of forming ornamental coverings forwalls, ceilings, I 5 and other surfaces; and it consists of the severalsteps which will be more fully hereinafter described, and pointed out inthe claim.

The object of our invention is to provide an unbroken ornamentalcovering for ,walls and ceilings, by the use of paper or other suitablematerial, by a simple and inexpensiveprocess, easily and readilyunderstood, and cheaply carried out, as it does not require tools ormolds of any kind, (although hand-tools may be profitably used attimes,) but is or maybe performed entirely with the hands of theoperator.

,\V e are aware that various processes and ways have been adopted andused for making ornamental covering for walls; but so far as we knowsuch processes have consistedin preparing the covering, whether of'paperor other suitable material, in sheets or strips, worked or shaped intoconfigurations, as desired, with molds and other devices, and thenattaching such sheets or strips to the walls by some adhesive mixtureapplied to the reverse side thereof, thus formingjoints and breaks inthe covering.

By our process the covering, whether of large or small surfaces, is soprepared and applied as to be without joint or break, and may beornamented and beautified as an entirety, without danger of its crackingor separating into blocks or strips. To accomplish this result, weproceed as followsz We first take the paper or other material andseparate it into pieces of convenient length and breadth for handling,and then immerse said pieces in 50 water or other liquid and thereretain them Serial l\o.2l9,08l. (No specimens.)

until the material becomes thoroughly soaked and of a pulpy consistency.The material is then taken from the liquid and pressed and wrung in thehands until the greater portion of the liquid is removed. It is thenspread out in some suitable place and then impregnated or coated withsome adhesive mixture, after which it is placed upon the wall or surfacedesired to be covered, and, while yet soft, worked into differentconfigurations by the use of the hands direct, or by a suitable bluntinstrument held in the hands by placing the same against the outersurface of the pieces, and in pushing or otherwise compressing orworking the pieces into various fantastic 6 shapes, and thus giving thepaper thus applied a regular or irregular corrugated appearance of highor low relief, as may be desired. By this operation the edges of thedifferent pieces as they are applied are so com- 0 mingled with eachother and forced into different forms that the covering presents onecontinuous mass, being unbroken at any point. By this way the pieces arejoined and worked into each other throughout the entire surface to becovered, thus presenting a homogeneous covering without breaks or scamsor lines of jointure, and when said .joining has been accomplished thepaper as applied is allowed to become dry and hard. After the coveringhas become hardened by drying it is painted, bronzcd, or otherwisedecorated, so as to present an attractive and artistic appearance.

The decoration of the surface of the covering may be accomplished by anywell-known means and by the use of such materials as are applicable tothe purpose other than those heretofore mentioned.

In accomplishing the softening of the pieces we have found that byadding certain ingre- 9e dientssuch as alum and a small amount of theoil of cedar-to the liquid used, the material used will be renderedpractically fire and vermin proof. This step of our process is notessential to the desired ultimate result, 5

and may or may not be incorporated, as may be desired.

We have further found that by soaking the paper after it-has beenseparated into pieces in a mucilaginous or pasty mixture the same I &

result maybe accomplished as in the first instance, without thepreliminary step of soaking the pieces in water or other liquids andthen applying a coating of paste or adhesive substance, the only effectof this step being to expedite the process. By using the differentgrades and thicknesses of paper we are enabled to secure large and smallconfigurations or corrugations, as by the use of hard heavymaterial-such as express papera coarse rugged surface is produced. Thus,according to the thickness of,the paper used, any desired surface ofhigh or low relief is obtained.

By the result of our process a covering is formed, by the overlappingand commingling of the pieces, which overcomes the defect displayed inwall-papers and like coverings now in general use, in that it preventsthe display of cracks or other defects in the wall or ceiling p roducedby a shrinking or settling of a building.

It is obvious that various changes in the manner and mode of procedurein our process may be made without the least departure from the natureand spirit of our invention.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

The process of forming and applying an unbroken covering to walls orceilings or other surfaces, which consists in separating the paper intopieces of con venient size for handling, reducing said pieces of paperto a pulpy condition by soaking in liquid, impregnating or coating thepulpy substance with an adhesive mixture, and, while it is soft andpliable, spreading it on the walls, ceiling, or other surfaces andworking it into configurations, as desired, by the hands or hand-tools,so as to form a continuous and unbroken sheet, and then coloring andbeautifying the same, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of twowitnesses.

HENRY MODON N ELL. JOHN J. MALLEN. Witnesses:

W. E. .VEI'roH, C. O. CAPPS.

